1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to musical instruments and, more particularly, to vented drum shells and method for constructing same.
2. Description of Related Art
In constructing drum shells, it is known to introduce openings through the drum shell, known as vents, in order to facilitate the escape of air and sound waves and to increase the volume from the drum. By decreasing the air pressure more quickly, the escape of air vents also facilitates the sympathetic vibration of the bottom drum head with the top drum head, thereby increasing the responsiveness and perceived volume of the drum. Traditional vents have been created by drilling or cutting holes into the side of a finished drum, or by constructing a split drum having separate top and bottom sections. These methods cause venting to be horizontal and/or irregular with respect to the grain of the wood which can form the shell and with respect to the sound waves created by the striking and resonance of the drum heads, which sound waves travel vertically within the column of the drum shell.
Known drum shells include those taught in: Sectionalized Musical Drum, U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,437, issued to Fred D. Hinger on Nov. 17, 1981, Drum With Modulated Acoustic Air Vent, issued to Randall L. May on Aug. 9, 2005, and Drum and Drum Body Formed From Adhered, Solid Blocks Of Wood issued to Keith A. Plikuhn on Jun. 11, 1985.
It would be desirable to have drum shells that provide improved venting throughout the air column within the shell, thereby further lessening sound wave phase cancellation while improving volume and response of the drum, and preserving the resonance of the shell material.
It would be desirable to have drum shell that could be constructed from pure wood, without the need for additional materials typically used in ply wood construction.